the thermometer stood at 82°. Whilst lying thus becalmed, three very large whales rose near us, blowing at a dreadful rate, and lying with their backs above the water. Towards evening the Farilhons rocks appeared in sight, bearing s. s. E. They seem to rise perpendicularly out of the sea, not unlike the Bass rock, or Ailsa, in Scotland. The sailors term them the "haystacks," which they greatly resemble. The Berlingas or Borlings, are several small barren islands lying south of the Farilhons, about five miles from Cape Carboeyro on the main land. These we passed in the night, lat. 39° 26', long. 10° 4'. Aug. 31.-We have been now a fortnight at sea, and if our progress is no quicker than it has hitherto been, we shall make a long and very tedious voyage. There appears no hope of our getting on; it is a dead calm, and the vessel sleeps upon the sheeted water; indeed the sultry state of the atmosphere makes crew and captain equally drowsy, and we long for a breeze to invigorate us. The coast of Portugal is in sight, but so hazy from the heat, that I can make but little of it, even with the aid of a telescope. I long to be on shore, tasting some of their delicious grapes, as the water we have on board is too lively to tempt us to drink it, however extreme our thirst may be; and would form a better subject for microscopic exhibition and wonder among the marvels of that marvellous place, the Polytechnic Institution. I have been trying my fishing lines, but they have proved unsuccessful; the stormy petrels skim around the hooks, and dexterously carry off the bait, without being able to secure them. To add to the mortification, shoals of sardinias, pursued by a whole troop of albicore, have approached within a boat's length of the vessel. During the day, as we lay becalmed, the captain put off the jolly-boat, and three of the men went out to endeavour to catch some from among the numerous shoals of fish that were rising from the deep water in every direction around us. When the boat approached within less than one hundred yards of a fine troop of albicore in full play, they provokingly disappeared, and, to use the sailors' phrase, "made fools of them." A second excursion for the same purpose proved equally unsuccessful, and the boat was hauled again on board in despair. We saw several sharks for the first time, and the sea-fowl and storm-birds became more numerous. It is a very interesting sight to watch the last-mentioned little birds, for ever on the wing, skimming swiftly over the surface of the water. They resemble a swallow, but are somewhat larger, and have a conspicuous white patch of feathers above the tail; sometimes they skim within a few inches of us, as they fly across the deck, but are so dexterous as never to be captured, even by the most expert hands. The sun shining upon the Portugal coast, rendered it rather more conspicuous; and in the afternoon we could discern the town of Ereceira, and on the summit of a high hill, the famous convent of Mafra, which is very conspicuous from the sea. Five, P.M.-A Portuguese fishing-boat has just passed us with four men and a boy in her. As we observed them busily pulling up their lines, the captain thought that we might get a little fish, and called out to them, "Any pisco?" but the only thing they held up was a dog-fish; at this our captain shook his head, and muttered some words that savoured of the Portuguese, when they departed. Capo Rocca, or the rock of Lisbon, is in sight, bearing s.s. E, and distant about twelve miles; behind it the land suddenly rises up into a mountainous ridge, extending a considerable way to the eastward. The summit is very uneven, having on it a number of detached eminences; this is the mountain of Cintra, and beyond it is the city of Lisbon. Sept. 1.-The morning was stormy, accompanied by rain and thunder; but it soon cleared off, and a steady breeze sprang up in our favour, and carried us along briskly. In the afternoon land appeared again in sight, and before six o'clock we rounded Cape St. Vincent, running at the rate of ten knots an hour. The sea is once more curled up into long sweeping waves, on whose snowy crests the full moon is shining with a flood of silvery light. The evenings begin to draw in very quickly, which is owing to the latitude we are in; the sun sets at half-past six, and in a few minutes night closes in, the duration of twilight being shorter than in England. Cape St. Vincent, the south-western extremity of the coast of Algarva, in Portugal, lies in north latitude 37° 3', and on its summit stands a convent of Augustine friars. About twenty fathoms from the foot of the Cape stands a large isolated rock, and the intervening channel is wide enough for ships of heavy tonnage to pass through. In the distance rise the mountains of Monchique, which are visible at sea for twenty-five leagues. Sept. 2.-Very hot weather, with a clear, cloudless sky of the purest azure. The thermometer in the shade is 81°. We have had a fresh breeze all day, which will carry us nearly to the coast of Africa, from which we are about sixty miles distant. The sunset was most gorgeous; it filled the western horizon with a wide atmosphere of golden light, shining against the deep indigo blue of the Atlantic ocean. The effect of the sun's refraction was remarkably beautiful; just as it seemed to touch the water its orb appeared elongated, and seemed drawn downwards in a cylindrical form into the sea. Ten, P.M.-The breeze has freshened, and the lights of Cadiz are in sight, bearing N.E. Sept. 3, Two o'clock, A.M.-The thermometer in the cabin stands at 83°. This degree of heat effectually prevented my sleeping, so I arose and went upon deck. We were entering the Straits of Gibraltar, and by the light of the moon I could discern Cape Trafalgar on the European, and Cape Spartel on the African coast. The ruddy hues of morning soon began to appear streaking the eastern sky, and I was amply repaid for my vigils, not only by a beautiful sunrise, but by an excellent view of the coast on each side of the Strait, which is one of the boldest and most romantic I ever beheld. At first it broke upon me like a dream, and I could hardly persuade myself that I was really, for the first time in my life, gazing upon the shores of Africa. The whole scene was bathed in the rosy light of morning. The Spanish hills, covered with vines and olive-trees; the blue and crisped waters over which we were speeding, and the high and rugged mountains of Barbary with their lofty peaks glittering in the sunshine, formed altogether a panorama too strikingly grand and beautiful ever to be forgotten. The rock of Gibraltar stands at the eastern extremity of the Straits, and directly opposite to it, on the African side, is the town and fortress of Ceuta, the only remaining Spanish possession in the Moorish territories. These are the famous pillars of Hercules, the western gates of the world, according to the ancients. A little to the west of Ceuta, rises the lofty and singular mountain called Sierra Bullones, or Ape's Hill, with its summit wrapped in clouds. Vast numbers of monkeys are said to inhabit this spot, and there is a vulgar belief current among many that they cross and re-cross to the rock of Gibraltar opposite by a subterranean passage below the sea. To the right of Ceuta are the remains of Old Ceuta, probably Carthaginian. On the Spanish side, the town and lighthouse of Tarifa, the town of Algeçeiras, and on the opposite extremity of the bay the rock and fortress of Gibraltar, rising abruptly to the height of 1400 feet above the level of the sea, are all objects worthy of notice. The wind continued to blow strongly from the westward; we were soon carried through the Straits, and were sailing over the bosom of the Mediterranean at the rate of nine knots an hour. Sept. 4.-This morning it is a calm, and the long swell from yesterday's breeze rocks us to and fro like a cradle on the subsiding waves. The thermometer at noon in the cabin was 100°; and we have not a breath of air to fan the sultry atmosphere. Numerous dolphins have been playing around the vessel; the sailors attract them with a spoon suspended by a line over the bows of the ship, which they move to and fro in the sun, to resemble the motion of the flying fish. Sept. 5.-A number of fine bonitoes have accompanied the vessel all day, and a troop of flying-fishes have just risen from the water, skimming over the waves like little bladders blown along by the wind. I observed, also, a large fish jump out of the sea, and up rose another cloud of these timid little creatures, escaping from their voracious enemy into another element, till their little wings becoming dry they sank exhausted into their native brine. Quarter past six, P. M.; the sun has just gone down over the African coast at Cape Tenez; a few scattered clouds have caught the reflection of the glowing sky upon their fleecy forms, and are exhibiting the most fairylike appearance imaginable, being tinted with a pure rose colour of exquisite brilliancy, whilst the wide western heavens are radiant in molten gold, and streaked with broad belts of vermilion cloud. Sept. 6.-To-day we have seen large numbers of the Portuguese men-of-war, those small marine animals so frequently noticed by seamen in warm latitudes. They are of с a deep blue colour, and as they float upon the surface of the water they raise their thin transparent gauze-like sail, which catches the wind. I fished up several in a basket, and made drawings of them. I found it quite useless to attempt preserving them in alcohol, as it immediately changed their colour to a bright red, exactly in the same way as litmus paper, or any other vegetable blue is affected by being brought into contact with an acid. One of the sailors harpooned a bonito, which we cooked for our supper; but I did not relish it much, it was too oily and rank. Sept. 8.-The Balearic Isles are in sight, but the wind continues directly opposed to us, and we are compelled to tack about in a zig-zag direction, so that we only gain twenty miles in every 100. The sea is running very high, and the sun shining brightly. Four, P.M.; the high mountains of Africa are again in sight, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Algiers; for a short time we thought we saw the city itself, with its white buildings, in the distance, but upon a nearer approach it proved to be nothing. but sand-hills. The city of Algiers lies about ten miles to the east, and is hidden from our view by a projecting cape. It was near sunset, and the deep indigo sea curled into a thousand snowy waves. A beach of yellow sand, backed by wild and picturesque rocks, sloped gradually down to the water's edge, beyond which the hills arose rapidly till the scene was flanked in by lofty mountains, so distant that they almost vanished in the warm hazy glow that overspread the African landscape. The herbage appeared small and scanty, and near to the water's edge there projected out a bold rock crowned with a ruined castle, whilst around it grew magnificent aloes with their lofty flower stalks rising to a great height; but I could detect no trace or vestige of any human beings in this glorious wilderness of nature. The French have carried their usurpation and arms into this devoted land, where Carthage once reared its hundred palaces, and where, in the middle ages, the Moorish hosts swept down from its mountains like some wild tumultuous sea, carrying their conquests into the very heart of Gaul. But now, "Only the wandering Arab's tent Flaps in the desert blast." Lions and other wild beasts abound in these unfrequented recesses; and even the Arab himself is as fierce and untameable as they. After dark we have several times observed large fires on the hills, which we conjecture were made by some bivouac to keep out nightly intruders. Sept. 11.-This morning it is a perfect calm, and very sultry; the thermometer in the shade being 85°, and the burning sun pours down its beams upon as blue a sea as ever garnished the brightest visions of fairyland. The water was so extremely clear that we resolved to try some experiments. We lowered a basin with a line into the sea, and at the depth of thirty-two fathoms it was distinctly visible. We next sank an empty bottle, strongly corked and sealed over; on being drawn up it was found filled with water, with the cork inverted. Thinking that I might make known to the world our condition, I wrote on a slip of paper the name of the vessel, with full particulars of the latitude and longitude where we lay becalmed, and all other necessary information; this I enclosed in a bottle, and sealing it well up, threw it overboard. Two large dragon-flies played all day around our top-masts; and our rigging was rendered lively by a bevy of small birds, that had ventured from the shore and taken up their abode with us. Sept. 12.-To-day we spoke the schooner "Petrel," thirty-eight days from Newcastle, laden with coals for Corfu. The heat is greater than yesterday, but as there is scarcely any wind, we have put up the awning over the quarter-deck, which provides us with a pleasant shelter from the glare of the sun. Sept. 14.-Wind contrary; I could not sleep during the night for the violent motion of the vessel, and the extreme heat of the cabin. I was in constant fear of being precipitated out of my berth on to the floor; and whilst the vessel was on her southerly tack, my berth was about as easy a place of repose as the side of a pyramid. Our salt butter was turned into oil, and our cabin was hot enough for a furnace. Sept. 15.-In the dead of the night we were all thrown into a state of great consternation by the alarm of pirates. It was a sudden calm, our vessel lay motionless, and the sails hung silently from the yards. The dew was falling like rain as we all assembled upon deck, aroused by the cry of the watch, and by the starlight we distinctly saw four boats making directly towards us, and soon afterwards we heard the plash of their oars, and a confused sound of voices on the still night air. The captain ordered all hands to prepare for combat, and when our fire-arms were mustered, we found them to consist of two blunderbusses, five or six pistols, two cutlasses, and a large axe. Armed with these, we considered that we could make a tolerably stout resistance. For half an hour we stood awaiting their approach, whilst poor Mrs. B. paced the deck almost frantic with terror. At the end of this time they seemed to alter their course from some unknown cause, and in twenty minutes we quite lost sight of them. At the same time a light breeze sprang up, and we stood out to sea without encountering any more Algerines. Sept. 16.-During the morning the African island of Galita was in sight. In the offing we saw a troop of large white animals, somewhat resembling whales, but which the sailors affirmed to be grampuses; they were of a delicate cream colour, with a dark line running along the back; and they reminded me of white asses. During the night the waters were unusually sparkling and vivid; the medusæ resembled masses of green fire as they rolled over in the foam of the waves. Whilst amusing myself by fishing up some of these creatures on the larboard side of the vessel, I was witness to a strange and brilliant atmospherical phenomenon. The heavens had hitherto been as clear as azure, and the wind for a fortnight past had been easterly; on a |